


A Marauder's Heart

by Castileigh



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2018-12-27 12:49:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12081393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Castileigh/pseuds/Castileigh
Summary: The story of how our favourite werewolf and a clumsy young auror fell in love. Set during the OotP, HBP and DH.





	1. At first sight.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K.Rowling!  
> Also my sincerest appologies if the format is crazy, I'm still getting to know archive of our own.

Nymphadora Tonks hummed happily as she made her way through muggle London. Her distressed jeans, bright green t-shirt and blue hair attracted a lot of funny looks from the business suit clad muggles that she walked past. Oblivious to their stares, she adjusted her travelling cloak that was draped over her arm and quickened her pace slightly. Today was her first meeting in the Order and she didn't want to be late.

"You can't hurry love; no you just have to wait!" She sang, remembering back to when Kingsley had first pull her aside in the auror headquarters, telling her that he needed to discuss a wizard who was cross breeding fwoopers and nogtails. 

"Isn't that the Magical Creature Department's problem?" she had asked. 

"Not if the wizard might be connected to the illegal imports that have been coming in from Africa." He had replied in his slow, calm voice.

Later they had met up at the Leaky Cauldron and Mad-eye joined them not long after. Tonks had been ecstatic to see her old mentor after his extended time being held captive in his own trunk. Of course, she had believed that he was teaching... 

Mad-eye and Kingsley had told her about the Order of the Phoenix and finished off their speech with an invitation to join. 

"People with your talents and ability are hard to come by so we make a point to snap them up as quickly as we can." Mad-eye had added while she thought their request over. 

Of course she had said yes. Tonks wouldn't willingly give up the opportunity to work against Voldemort, especially since the ministry was being so blind about his return. Working under Dumbledore's orders was also a thrilling idea. Yes, that was it. But she wouldn't deny that Mad-eyes words had had a tiny bit to do with it. After all, it was flattering to think that, young as she was, she had something they wanted.

"She said love don't come easy, it's a game of give and take..." 

Tonks was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't notice a tall figure step out in front of her before she crashed right into him, sending them both tumbling to the hard ground. All the books that had been in his hands were scattered around them. 

"I am so sorry!" She gasped, scrambling to her feet. The tall figure getting up in front of her turned out to be a man. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, despite the gray that threaded through his light brown hair. His pants and jersey were a little shabby but not unlike Tonks' own pair of favourite jeans. He met her eyes and the corner of his mouth quirked up in a shy half smile. Tonks blushed as she realized she had been staring...with her mouth open. She shut it quickly and started to pick up the books that he had been carrying. She handed them to him wordlessly, her face still burning. 

"Thank you." He said in a low, slightly hoarse voice. 

"No problem. Hand on, I missed one..." Just as Tonks started forward to get the book they had overlooked, she tripped over her cloak, which was still on the ground, and fell forward. The stranger's books fell to the ground yet again as he dropped them to catch her. Tonks wanted to die. The man made sure that she was safely back on her own two feet before he let go of his, rather tight, hold around her waist. 

"I'm so sorry." Tonks moaned again, wishing the ground would swallow her up. 

"Don't worry about it." He said calmly, though his face too was quite red. "Maybe I should pick them up this time, yeah?" 

Tonks closed her eyes and nodded. 

"Erm." The man cleared his throat nervously. "I think this is yours."He said when she opened her eyes. He was balancing his books in one hand and holding her cloak out in his other. 

"Thanks," she whispered taking it and shaking it out to get rid of the dirt. 

"Hang on..." The man said, his eyes darting from her cloak to the handle of her wand sticking out from the waistband of her jeans. 

"I-er... I really have to go." Tonks stammered quickly. "Sorry again." She all but ran away from the man. "And I'm going to be late." She added to herself. Although she could practically see the place where Kingsley had told her the Order was hidden, she knew that it would be stupid to go straight there if there was a chance that the man was still watching her. Especially if he knew that she was a witch...and he probably did, judging by his reaction when he saw her wand. 

Taking a long loop around, Tonks finally stood where a grimy house had just popped out from between two muggle dwellings. Looking around furtively, she walked up the steps and turned the creepy handle. She slipped inside and closed the door behind her. It was very dark inside and smelled of damp carpets.

"That'll be Nymphadora." Came Molly Weasley's voice from somewhere ahead of her. "Remus, please would you be a darling and bring her here." 

"Lumos," Tonks muttered. 

Her wand light illuminated the damp hallway in front of her and someone at the end of it. She walked forwards, trying to look mature and ready to meet the rest of the order when she fell head long over an awful troll leg. She remained airborne an abnormal amount of time before she crashed to the ground, her head colliding painfully with the mouldy floor. 

Her loud "OUCH!" was drowned out by an awful shrieking that had suddenly filled the house and made the windows rattle and Tonks' head pound viciously. Two men hurried towards her, one sped past to drag curtains over the hideous painting that was screaming at the top of her canvas lungs while the other pulled Tonks to her feet. 

"Are you alright?" 

Heat flooded her face as she realized her saviour was none other than the man she had just bumped into on the street. He seemed to have noticed the same thing as he checked to see if she was alright. 

"I should have known. You must be Nymphadora Tonks." He stated, his mouth curling into a small amused smile. 

"Just Tonks." She muttered. 

"Help?" shouted the other man. He was still trying to cover the portrait of the mad woman. Remus and Tonks quickly stunned the other portraits that had started yelling and Remus hurried over to help the dark-hair man with the curtains. 

Tonks heaved a sigh of relief as the shouting stopped. The dark man pushed sweaty strands of hair off his forehead and turned to smile down at her. 

"Long time no see cuz." He greeted, pulling her into a bone cracking hug. 

"Sirius!" Tonks all but yelled when she recognized her cousin. Tonks had briefly worried about how it would be to see Sirius again, especially since he had spent most of her childhood locked up in Azkaban. But she needn't had worried, he was just as friendly and relaxed as he had been when she was seven. 

"I see you know Remus already. I wondered why he was looking so excited." He joked. Remus scowled at Sirius, who winked back. 

"I actually managed to single handedly ruin Remus' books with no weapons other than my super clumsiness." Tonks admitted. 

"That's my cousin, the charmer." Sirius said proudly, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "She's a keeper." He said, waggling his eyebrows at Remus. 

"They're waiting for us to start the meeting," Remus said, choosing to ignore Sirius. Although, Tonks was sure she had detected a faint blush on his cheeks before he had turned away. 

"Don't let his goody-two shoes act fool you, Nymphy." Sirius said, loudly enough for Remus to hear. "Moony wasn't a marauder for nothing."


	2. A secret?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still don't own Harry Potter...

Tonks leant against the long meeting table and sighed in relief. She was proud to say that she had made it through the whole order meeting without making a fool of herself once. She had even come up with a few good ideas that had made the other members look at her with some kind of surprise, if not a little respect. Most of the members anyway,*cough* Severus *cough*. Nevertheless, she was glad she had made a good impression.

"Good one on that lawn idea." Came a quiet voice next to her. Tonks twirled around, knocking a chair flying but managing to keep herself upright with a little help from the table.

She found Remus watching her with raised eyebrows. He hid a smile as he nudged the fallen chair off his foot.

"Lawn idea?" Tonks asked, baffled.

"All-England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition, I believe."

"Oh right," She smiled as she remembered. "My grandmother on my dad's side was always complaining when she didn't get recognition for her garden. So I figured that it must be a big thing with muggles."

"That's not even the half of it," Remus leant towards her conspiratively. "I hear in some places you are not even allowed to walk on the grass." He whispered loudly.

Tonks let out an explosive giggle. "You're joking?"

"Nope." He said, straight faced. "They have little signs and everything."

"Who has little signs?" Sirius had wandered over to join them.

"The inmates of Azkaban." Remus said without missing a beat.

Sirius scowled as Tonks burst into hysterical laughter and a smile curled the side of Remus' mouth.

"Very funny. I can barely breathe for laughing."

Tonks felt the laughter die in her throat as she took in her cousins downcast expression. "What's wrong?"

Sirius looked at the floor and didn't answer.

"Sirius is angry that Dumbledore said he couldn't go fetch Harry." Remus explained quietly, earning himself a death glare from his friend.

Tonks looked intently at Sirius' face. "It's not going to last forever, you know."

Sirius looked torn between raging at Tonks and crying. He settled for a defeated sigh. "I know. I just need reminding very now and then." He seemed to want to say something else, but shook his head. "I'm tired; I might as well go to bed." He half-heartedly ruffled Tonks' hair before disappearing into the dark hallway. Tonks could hear him walking heavily up the stairs. She turned back to see Remus staring at the place where Sirius had disappeared with a concerned expression.

"I worry about Sirius." Remus told her. "If Dumbledore keeps putting restrictions on him, he will do something reckless."

"Harry couldn't be coming at a better time then." She commented. "Is there anything else I need to do before we fetch him?"

Remus shook his head. "No, just make sure you're here. Oh, and don't forget your broom." He looked sideways at her mischievously. "Please don't tell me that you're even more dangerous to be around when you're riding a broom?"

Tonks playfully swatted him on the chest. "I'll have you know that I was on the Hufflepuff quidditch team for a whole week before they threw me out for turning our captains robes pink. It was an accident, of course. Besides, I can be extremely graceful when I want to be."

Remus snorted, "And assaulting innocent strangers on the street while damaging their valuable books is just a well thought out disguise to mask your cat-like reflexes and general devious antics?"

"Exactly! It makes perfect sense when you think about it." Tonks said in mock seriousness. Then she realized what he had said. "Wait...did you say those books were valuable?"

"Hardly." He said with a light laugh. "They weren't even real books. Just transfigured Order notes."

Tonks exhaled in relief. "You know you really had me going there. I was getting ready to spend the rest of my days wandering around (in a guilt-ridden state might I add) through some arbitrary forest."

"Just for ruining my books?"

"Most defiantly."

"Well then," Remus said, smiling. "I'm glad they're not books then. I would be most unhappy if you were to leave the order and me, to the mercy of Severus Snape. Who else would roll their eyes dramatically every time he spoke?"

"You noticed that, did you?" Tonks said, feigning surprise.

Remus chuckled. "I think he did too."

"Oh well." She replied casually. "He never liked me anyway."

"You and the rest of the world." Remus opened his mouth to say something more but closed it abruptly when the object of their conversation approached.

Although she tried hard not to show it, Tonks inwardly cringed every time her ex-potions master came near her. The two of them had never gotten along well, despite her high marks in his subject. Tonks supposed he couldn't stand the idea of a Hufflepuff managing to make it into his Newts class. She also had a sneaky suspicion that he detested any form of cheerfulness and that included colour. After all, he stuck to black from head to toe, so it seemed to Tonks that he took colourful hair as a personal offence.

Without even acknowledging her, he turned to Remus. "Lupin." He started in clipped tones. "Dumbledore has asked me to confirm with you the amount of Wolfsbane you will need for your upcoming missions. It will take me a while to make so I need to know well in advance."

Tonks felt her heart miss a beat as she realized what Snapes words meant. Remus was a werewolf. Snape smirked and Tonks knew that he had purposely made sure to ask Remus in front of her so to tell her his secret. When she noticed Remus shifting uncomfortably and avoiding her gaze, obviously at a loss of what to say, she backed away from the pair.

"It's late and I still have to get home. Remus, I'll see you around." She mumbled, missing his hurt expression and Snapes triumphant one as she sped out of the dark house.

Within seconds Tonks was pacing around the lounge in her small cottage, her mind was reeling from what she had just found out. All her life she had been taught that werewolves were dangerous, no matter whether they were in human or wolf form. Yet here Remus was, perfectly normal and probably the most polite man Tonks had ever met. Her mind flickered to the shy half smile he had flashed her when they had first met on the street and to the strong warmth of his arm around her waist as he stopped her from falling. As easy as breathing, Tonks felt her old prejudices melt away and a new outlook on werewolves form. With that new outlook came the staggering guilt of leaving Remus alone to deal with Snape.

She smacked herself in the head. "Why?" She moaned. Tonks wouldn't be surprised if he refused to talk to her ever again, especially after she had run out of the house faster than if she had been faced with Lord Voldemort himself. "I'll just have to make it up to him." She told the cauldron in the corner of her room determinedly. "Find a way to let him know that I don't care. Yes! That's what I'll do! But I think I'm going to need help from a certain deranged cousin of mine."

The cauldron ignored her.


	3. Chapter 3

Tonks leant against the long meeting table and sighed in relief. She was proud to say that she had made it through the whole order meeting without making a fool of herself once. She had even come up with a few good ideas that had made the other members look at her with some kind of surprise, if not a little respect. Most of the members anyway,*cough* Severus *cough*. Nevertheless, she was glad she had made a good impression.

"Good one on that lawn idea." Came a quiet voice next to her. Tonks twirled around, knocking a chair flying but managing to keep herself upright with a little help from the table.

She found Remus watching her with raised eyebrows. He hid a smile as he nudged the fallen chair off his foot.

"Lawn idea?" Tonks asked, baffled.

"All-England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition, I believe."

"Oh right," She smiled as she remembered. "My grandmother on my dad's side was always complaining when she didn't get recognition for her garden. So I figured that it must be a big thing with muggles."

"That's not even the half of it," Remus leant towards her conspiratively. "I hear in some places you are not even allowed to walk on the grass." He whispered loudly.

Tonks let out an explosive giggle. "You're joking?"

"Nope." He said, straight faced. "They have little signs and everything."

"Who has little signs?" Sirius had wandered over to join them.

"The inmates of Azkaban." Remus said without missing a beat.

Sirius scowled as Tonks burst into hysterical laughter and a smile curled the side of Remus' mouth.

"Very funny. I can barely breathe for laughing."

Tonks felt the laughter die in her throat as she took in her cousins downcast expression. "What's wrong?"

Sirius looked at the floor and didn't answer.

"Sirius is angry that Dumbledore said he couldn't go fetch Harry." Remus explained quietly, earning himself a death glare from his friend.

Tonks looked intently at Sirius' face. "It's not going to last forever, you know."

Sirius looked torn between raging at Tonks and crying. He settled for a defeated sigh. "I know. I just need reminding very now and then." He seemed to want to say something else, but shook his head. "I'm tired; I might as well go to bed." He half-heartedly ruffled Tonks' hair before disappearing into the dark hallway. Tonks could hear him walking heavily up the stairs. She turned back to see Remus staring at the place where Sirius had disappeared with a concerned expression.

"I worry about Sirius." Remus told her. "If Dumbledore keeps putting restrictions on him, he will do something reckless."

"Harry couldn't be coming at a better time then." She commented. "Is there anything else I need to do before we fetch him?"

Remus shook his head. "No, just make sure you're here. Oh, and don't forget your broom." He looked sideways at her mischievously. "Please don't tell me that you're even more dangerous to be around when you're riding a broom?"

Tonks playfully swatted him on the chest. "I'll have you know that I was on the Hufflepuff quidditch team for a whole week before they threw me out for turning our captains robes pink. It was an accident, of course. Besides, I can be extremely graceful when I want to be."

Remus snorted, "And assaulting innocent strangers on the street while damaging their valuable books is just a well thought out disguise to mask your cat-like reflexes and general devious antics?"

"Exactly! It makes perfect sense when you think about it." Tonks said in mock seriousness. Then she realized what he had said. "Wait...did you say those books were valuable?"

"Hardly." He said with a light laugh. "They weren't even real books. Just transfigured Order notes."

Tonks exhaled in relief. "You know you really had me going there. I was getting ready to spend the rest of my days wandering around (in a guilt-ridden state might I add) through some arbitrary forest."

"Just for ruining my books?"

"Most defiantly."

"Well then," Remus said, smiling. "I'm glad they're not books then. I would be most unhappy if you were to leave the order and me, to the mercy of Severus Snape. Who else would roll their eyes dramatically every time he spoke?"

"You noticed that, did you?" Tonks said, feigning surprise.

Remus chuckled. "I think he did too."

"Oh well." She replied casually. "He never liked me anyway."

"You and the rest of the world." Remus opened his mouth to say something more but closed it abruptly when the object of their conversation approached.

Although she tried hard not to show it, Tonks inwardly cringed every time her ex-potions master came near her. The two of them had never gotten along well, despite her high marks in his subject. Tonks supposed he couldn't stand the idea of a Hufflepuff managing to make it into his Newts class. She also had a sneaky suspicion that he detested any form of cheerfulness and that included colour. After all, he stuck to black from head to toe, so it seemed to Tonks that he took colourful hair as a personal offence.

Without even acknowledging her, he turned to Remus. "Lupin." He started in clipped tones. "Dumbledore has asked me to confirm with you the amount of Wolfsbane you will need for your upcoming missions. It will take me a while to make so I need to know well in advance."

Tonks felt her heart miss a beat as she realized what Snapes words meant. Remus was a werewolf. Snape smirked and Tonks knew that he had purposely made sure to ask Remus in front of her so to tell her his secret. When she noticed Remus shifting uncomfortably and avoiding her gaze, obviously at a loss of what to say, she backed away from the pair.

"It's late and I still have to get home. Remus, I'll see you around." She mumbled, missing his hurt expression and Snapes triumphant one as she sped out of the dark house.

Within seconds Tonks was pacing around the lounge in her small cottage, her mind was reeling from what she had just found out. All her life she had been taught that werewolves were dangerous, no matter whether they were in human or wolf form. Yet here Remus was, perfectly normal and probably the most polite man Tonks had ever met. Her mind flickered to the shy half smile he had flashed her when they had first met on the street and to the strong warmth of his arm around her waist as he stopped her from falling. As easy as breathing, Tonks felt her old prejudices melt away and a new outlook on werewolves form. With that new outlook came the staggering guilt of leaving Remus alone to deal with Snape.

She smacked herself in the head. "Why?" She moaned. Tonks wouldn't be surprised if he refused to talk to her ever again, especially after she had run out of the house faster than if she had been faced with Lord Voldemort himself. "I'll just have to make it up to him." She told the cauldron in the corner of her room determinedly. "Find a way to let him know that I don't care. Yes! That's what I'll do! But I think I'm going to need help from a certain deranged cousin of mine."

The cauldron ignored her.


	4. Faded

Remus glanced over to where Tonks sat slumped in her chair. His eyes skimmed over her dull rose coloured hair to linger on her own pale gray eyes that stared tiredly into her butterbeer. Remus realized that the cheerful and interested show she had put on during Harry's collection had just been a good cover up for the stress she had really been feeling.

He watched as a smile pulled at her mouth and her eyes lit up as she once again declined food from Molly. Her familiar laugh carried over to where he was sitting but as the Weasley matriarch turned her back, the fire in Tonks eyes died and her smile was replaced with tiny stress lines that framed her lovely mouth. Lines that shouldn't appear on a face so young.

Making a split second decision, Remus got up and walked over to her, all the while extremely conscious of Sirius' eyes on him. He sat down without looking at Tonks, although he could feel her, along with Sirius, Kingsley, Hestia, Molly and Arthur, watching him curiously. He took a sip of tea and ignored them; hoping Tonks would understand that he didn't want to talk to her with everyone else listening. She seemed to get the idea because she turned her attention back on the drink in front of her.

Sirius flashed Remus a lopsided smile before clearing his throat loudly. "So Kingsley, Just in case someone happens to ask me, where am I currently in hiding? According to the Auror office?"

His question caused a series of laughs and eye rolls before Kingsley launched into a long winded speech explaining the details on Sirius' case in the Aurors offices. Molly sighed slightly, her shoulders drooping as she readied herself for a typical Kingsley speech, but she gained some of her enthusiasm when Hestia asked her for her grilled potatoes charm.

Once he was sure that no one was watching, Remus turned to Tonks. She smiled warmly at him which Remus had to tell himself did NOT cause a strange swooping sensation in his belly.

"How you doing?" He murmured, just so she could hear.

Tonks gave him a look of polite puzzlement. "I'm fine," she replied just as softly. After watching her, Remus knew that the forced bright smile that accompanied her words meant that she was feeling the exact opposite.

He inclined his head slightly. "When I first started in the Order, I felt like I had gotten myself in way over my head. I think the reality of what you're doing only sinks in later, after more than a few sleepless nights." He gave a humourless smile, "And I didn't even have to worry about a day job."

Tonks gave a light laugh. "Remus, I'm fine. I know everyone thinks that just because I'm young, I can't cope. But really-"

She stopped talking when Remus caught a strand of her hair between two fingers. They both stared at the lock that had been so vivid just that morning but had faded by the night light.

Tonks' eyes flickered to his, their pale depths panicked at the idea that someone might have found the crack in her cheerful front.

She swallowed hard and cleared her throat, "I'm fine." She pushed herself away from the table, away from Remus, and flung her magenta cloak around her shoulders. "Night all!" She called, only a hint of weariness in her bright voice. The room's occupants called back as she left the grim house, leaving Remus to stare miserably at her half-drunk butterbeer while Sirius shot him an extremely frustrated glare.


End file.
